Generated by Bing AI, prompt by Wonjoon Jun 

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Downloadable Pinyin and  Annotation

Unit 3.3 Pinyin and English

Sentence Structure

什么的

Meaning:

……什么的 means “and so on” or “and things like that.” It is used to list examples in a non-exhaustive way, similar to “etc.” or “and so forth” in English.

When to Use:

• To indicate that the list is incomplete and there are more items in the same category.
• Often appears at the end of a list of items or actions.
• Used in casual or spoken Chinese, making the sentence less formal.

Structure:
[Examples] + 什么的

Examples:

1. 我喜欢玩儿电脑游戏、做饭、看书什么的。
   Wǒ xǐhuān wánr diànnǎo yóuxì, zuò fàn, kàn shū shénme de.
   Meaning: I like playing computer games, cooking, reading books, and so on.
2. 她喜欢唱歌、跳舞什么的。
   (Tā xǐ huān chàng gē, tiào wǔ shén me de.)
   – She likes singing, dancing, and things like that.

能

Meaning: “能” is a modal verb that means:

1. Can / be able to (ability)
2. May / be allowed to (permission or possibility)

It is often used to express ability, possibility, or permission depending on the context.

Basic Structure:  Subject + 能 + Verb + (Object)
→ indicates the subject can or is able to do something.

🔹 1. Expressing Ability： Used to indicate that someone has the physical or learned ability to do something.

Example:

• 我能说中文。
  Wǒ néng shuō Zhōngwén.
  → I can speak Chinese.

🔹 2. Expressing Possibility (due to conditions)： ”Used when circumstances allow or make something possible.

Example:

• 今天太晚了，我们不能去图书馆。
  Jīntiān tài wǎn le, wǒmen bù néng qù túshūguǎn.
  → It’s too late today, we can’t go to the library.

🔹 3. Expressing Permission： Used like “may” to indicate being allowed to do something.

Example:

• 老师，我们现在能走了吗？
  Lǎoshī, wǒmen xiànzài néng zǒu le ma?
  → Teacher, may we leave now?

❌ Negation of 能

The negative form is:
不能 (bù néng) → cannot / not able to / not allowed to

❗ Note:

• “不能” negates both ability and permission depending on context.
• Do not use “没能” in regular present-tense negation. “没能” is used for past tense failure to do something.

🔹 Examples of Negation:

1. 我今天不能去学校。
   Wǒ jīntiān bù néng qù xuéxiào.
   → I can’t go to school today.
2. 他现在不能用电脑。
   Tā xiànzài bù néng yòng diànnǎo.
   → He is not allowed to use the computer now.

✅ Summary Table:

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Grammar Exercise

Multiple Choice. Choose one from given options to complete the questions.

Translation Exercise

Translate the following sentences into English. 

1. 我们可以在谷歌云盘保存视频和图片。
2. 域名就是公司网站的地址。
3. 我们的公司有内部的服务器。